My 4 yr great dane mix has broken his front leg -- what is the best way to fix it?

Question

My dog is 87 lbs of muscles and four years old. He fell on poorly made steps today and broken his leg. The vet (not our normal vet as it is Sun) wants us to go to ortho surgeon and have a plate put in, others have said that can be complicated and plates can slip, etc. I cannot afford to redue thesurgery if it needs to be redone. Truthfully, I cannot afford the surgery at all as I don't have $3000 laying around the house. The other options are to cast it (she doesn't think this will work because he is so big) or to amputate. Any opinions?

Answer 1

If you cannot afford medical care for your pets then you should not have pets.

Answer 2

$3000 is alot of money. That is not 'basic vet health care' costs and those folks being so judgemental should stop.

At 87 pounds, he is not as large as a Dane. Repairing broken bones in a Great Dane that weighs 150-160 pounds is incredibly difficult. 87 pounds is still large though.

Not only is the surgery going to be expensive, almost always you will miss at least a couple of weeks of work. The after care for a dog with a broken leg is being crated 24/7 for at least 6-8 weeks with no set backs and he heals fine. The dog will need help with eating and restroom breaks.

I have known a Dane or two that have been through the surgeries. One did very well and went on to be a show dog, the other was eventually put to sleep. His owners spent thousands and thousands of dollars in lost work and wages plus the original surgery and still lost the dog. They wished they would have amputed instead. They would not have lost their dog.

It comes down to your feelings for the dog. If it is a clean break and can be easliy repaired with surgery then go ahead........if it looks like a difficult surgery, maybe amputation is better than repair. They actually heal faster after amputation. Dogs do not have the same mental hang ups as people do. Dogs are very resilient. He wouldn't even miss his leg to be honest.

If it is a bad break I doubt a cast will keep it set for long. The plate is the safest way to go. The chances of a plate slipping or really minimal.

Really, only you can decide what you can can or can't do. I would not let the dog suffer too long one way or the other.

Talk to surgean. Weigh all the options and then decide.

good luck.

Answer 3

An orthopaedic surgeon will choose the correct size of plate required for the type of break your dog has, if he feels that is what is required. An alternative may be external fixation where pins are put through the leg and held in place with bolts a bit like a cage around the leg. With both of these the correct aftercare is very important - keeping the wounds clean and not exercising the leg too much. Casting will not be strong enough for a dog this size and although amputation is a simpler option I have not personally seen it done in a dog his size so not sure how he would cope. Many animals cope really well though on three legs so I wouldn't rule it out. If there is anyway you can get the money together to fix it though that is what I would go for.

Answer 4

call around to other vets in your area. sometimes there is a vet there that does the ortho surgeries and cheaper than a specialist. take the x-rays with you so you won't have to pay to have them retaken. a plate is going to be your best option. yes there are complications involved with any surgery. but there are far less complications involved in plating than having a cast on the dog's leg where the dog can chew, the cast can rub or slip and depending on where the dog broke the bone, front, rear, what bone's etc.....is going to depend on what's best. is the break complete or partial? that will all depend on what you can do. i'm assuming it's a complete break. if that is the case, really a cast will do nothing more than eat money, and in the end you will then be faced with the cost of amputation or surgery. surgery at this point will be more difficult and the healing process longer and more involved. the sooner it's plated the better chane you have for a better recovery. if you're considering amputation, realize you are putting extra weight on the other leg. while your dog can compensate for it, it will put a huge burden on the other legs. if it's neccessary i say amputate i hate seeing someone want to put a dog to sleep because they don't want a 3 legged dog. but if there's a choice i would definatly go with the plate surgery.

Answer 5

Remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking a second opinion. It's generally a good idea to see your normal vet as soon as possible after a trip to the emergency vet anyway. The surgery may be your best bet, but it can wait a day or two for you to get a second opinion on what the best option for your situation is. Your regular vet may be able to suggest a different surgeon that may be able to do the surgery for less or that would accept a payment plan. If you get two vets both recommending the same treatment plan, then personally I would find a way to do the surgery. Yes, plates can slip but there is no guarantee that they will (if you do the post surgical follow up care as directed by the ortho surgeon they are more likely not to slip).

Answer 6

This is so sad, if you can't afford the vet bills, give the dog to a rescue group and they will pay for it, or put the dog down. The leg must be plated to hold. The plate is put in the leg and screws are set in the bone. Nothing else works. Please don't amputate this dogs leg. There's no turning back after you do this. Think about it, would you amputate your leg if you broke it...of course NOT! This is an easy fix for the right vet. Check with other vets to see if they would do it for less and you could make payments. Some vets do care more about the animal then their wallets. Also, check with SPCA in your area, they provide low cost vet care. This is not the dog's fault here. When you take on an animal, you take on the expense of care also. Get health insurance after this, it pays 50-100% of the vet bills depending on your premium.

Answer 7

Your only options are to have it done by the surgeon or for your Vet to try to fix it, it will be cheaper that way. My Chihuahua went to an Ortho Surgeon for hip disease when she was 3 mths old. She had no use of one of her hind legs. She'll be 9 in a few weeks & runs normal. Also check around in your area ASAP to found if there's another Reg. Vet that has had success with repairing broken limbs. You'll need pain meds now, if not available give the dog 2 buffered asprins. They must be buffered. Confine him to a small room or closet where he can not move too much on alot of blankets.. Get him to your Vet first thing Mon. AM.

Answer 8

I'm so sorry your dog is hurt! The Orthopedic Surgeon almost always opts for surgery. Vets cast horses who weigh 10 X as much as your dog, so why can't even a large dog have a cast?

In any case I'm sure the type of break determines treatment. The hardest part will be keeping him quiet while he heals. You definitely need another opinion before you opt for the surgery and plate. Don't despair, there is always more than one solution. Hope you find a good solution that fits your needs soon.

Answer 9

If it were me, I'd probably want to talk to my own vet about it. If that's not possible, then I think you have to go with what this vet has advised and at least consult with an orthopedic surgeon. Perhaps the leg can be cast now and the decision to have this surgery or not made later. Sorry you and your dog are having to go through this and I hope whatever you decide to do, it turns out well.

Answer 10

Broken legs are very complicated. There are many different types or breaks and many types of fixes. You vet will no best. Although unless theres no way to repair the leg(which there probley is) a dog can do extremely well on 3 legs. Your vet will know best, ask a lot of question. Good Luck! Hope he is alright!

Answer 11

If amputating it is affordable, then maybe that is the route to take. It seems that 3 legged dogs do just fine!! They adapt pretty well, but if you can afford the surgery I would do that. If not anythings better than having him put down.